Now on Newsstands: Stereophile, Vol.34 No.7

The July 2011 issue of Stereophile is now on newsstands. A quick look at the cover should tell you a lot about what the issue has to offer: New speakers from Sony, Thiel, Rethm, Audience, and Harbeth; integrated amplifiers from NAD, Micromega, and JoLida; digital file players from Decibel, Pure Music, and Amarra; a state-of-the-art preamplifier from Ypsilon; a new set of Robert Johnson 45rpm discs.

In order to put together an interesting and competitive issue, John Atkinson strives to create a magazine that he would want to read. Taking a look at this issue’s cover, I feel fairly certain that were I to come across it on some newsstand, I would pick it up, flip through its 140 pages, take it over to the cash register, plop down the $6.99, take the lovely thing home with me, and devour it.

You?

Inside the magazine, John Marks argues that the ranking of music is a personal thing. This seems obvious, but so many seem to think otherwise, seem to think that their opinions should be held by all. Silliness. While life would certainly be simpler if we all agreed on the greatest composers or greatest bands or greatest loudspeakers, life would also be less worthwhile. If Stereophile could remind you to appreciate differencesin opinion, as much as in soundto remind you to enjoy life, to live a full and open life, to surround yourself with beautiful and meaningful things, to share your enthusiasms, to reevaluate your prejudices, to be surprised, to wonder, then I think we’d be doing an okay job.

This is music we’re talking about, after all. Music: the most wonderful, most mysterious of all forms of art, humankind’s greatest achievement, the sound of our days and nights. Why shouldn’t we indulge in it?

Expecting to be able to read Kal's latest Music In the Round, I subscribed to the digital edition. But I was only able to view the June issue. Apparently, they are still "protecting" their print edition. If that is the case, I disagree with their policy.

"Within days of one another" is a relative term. it could be a week or a fortnight.

Moreover, given that they are going from an electronic version of the layout to a print version, there is virtually no reason why the digital version cannot be made available on exactly the same day as the print version, if not before.

I think Jeff's point is reasonable. When you, Stephen, post on June 10th, that "The July 2011 issue of Stereophile is now on newsstands." I don't see why digital subscribers shouldn't expect their editions to be available that day.

The release of the print issue varies slightly from month to month and is something of a mystery to me -- it gets to newsstands when it gets to newsstands -- but the release of the digital edition is something that is controlled and based on the official on-sale date of the issue. Ariel and I proof the digitial edition and ask our friends at Zinio to release it as scheduled. When the official on-sale date arrives -- in this case, tomorrow -- the issue will be sent to digital subscribers. I believe it has been late exactly once in all the time that we've made the magazine available digitally.

I agree, however: It is reasonable to think that the digital edition should come before, or as soon as, the print edition. But the two are controlled by different means and their distribution methods are not related.

Why did you post the news item before the official release date?

Because I knew it would be my only opportunity to do so. Updating the blog is something I do in my free time, and I'm now beginning work on our September and October issues.

In future, may I suggest that the new issues are announced on the web site on their official release date rather than frustrating your digital subscribers with the announcement that an issue is available to everyone but them?

Just some customer feedback for you. Hopefully, Stereophile is committed to meeting the needs of it's customers.